PANJIM: Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) candidates and party workers are shocked at political strategist Prashant Kishor saying he wasn’t involved in the Goa elections in an interview he gave to veteran TV host Karan Thapar on The Wire website.
When Thapar expressed surprise at this answer and mentioned that he was in Goa during the campaign, Kishor retorted, “I can be in Delhi or Goa by that doesn’t mean I’m doing an election here. I could be in Goa, Mumbai or Delhi to observe things but that doesn’t mean that I’m doing things. I have publicly said post Bengal that I am not doing this thing anymore.”
Those in Goa TMC in any capacity are shocked and surprised at these remarks. Kishor is synonymous with I-PAC or Indian Political Action Committee and almost every TMC candidate, political worker or office-bearer confirmed his hands on involvement in micro-managing Goa elections in favour of TMC.
He was visibly shepherding IPAC into contesting 26 seats and if the professed political aim to get 22 seats materialises, it will boost Kishor’s role as a political consultant even further. Added to this is the expertise displayed in making alliance the MGP with which IPAC has professed to forming a government taking into account MGP’s winning seats.
However, if the performance is disastrous it will have the opposite effect on his role in other States.
However, even before the TMC candidates Goa Forward’s Vijai Sardesai was quick off the block. Vijai Sardesai, who was also approached by Kishor with a request to merge the GFP with TMC said, “Prashant Kishor’s statement is an attempt to extricate himself from an impending disaster which is starring the TMC.”
One TMC member said that Kishor is distancing himself so that TMCs poor performance does not affect his professional engagements.
TMC vice president and Cuncolim candidate Dr Jorson Fernandes said that Kishor was fully engaged in Goa Assembly elections. “He (Kishor) personally met me on how to go about elections,” Fernandes said, adding, “I am not aware in what context he has made the statement.”
Expressing his surprise at Kishor’s statement, former MLA and TMC leader Agnelo Fernandes said, “Joseph Sequeira, Anthony Menezes and myself met Prashant Kishor on two
occasions, first in a restaurant at Candolim and then in a hotel at Calangute. On both occasions TMC MP and Goa in-charge Mahua Moitra was present and Kishor was pressurising us to quit Congress and join TMC the same day.”
Fernandes said that during the first meeting at Candolim, Kishor spoke to them arrogantly and that in protest he left the meeting abruptly.
Kishor’s direct involvement was confirmed by many. TMC Sanguem candidate Rakhi Naik said that soon after joining the party, she met Kishor twice at the I-PAC office at Panjim. “He spoke to me about my plans, vision, expectations etc. Basically he wanted to know about my journey in politics given the fact that few women foray into politics.”
However, former Chief Minister TMC Benaulim candidate Churchill Alemao refused to speak on Kishor’s statement that he was not involved in Goa elections.
The results on March 10.will determine whether Kishor’s strategy has worked or whether the adventure will have disastrous political consequences.
